Blurry Background on Mac? Turn Off Portrait Mode

If your background looks blurry or hazy on a Mac in Google Meet, Teams, Zoom or Riverside, Apple's Portrait setting is usually the cause. It blurs the background even when blur is switched off inside the app. While your video app is open, click the green camera icon in the menu bar, find Portrait and turn it off.

Why is my background blurry on a Mac?

Macs have their own camera effects that sit on top of whichever app you are using, and Portrait is one of them. It softens everything behind you, the way a phone camera does in portrait mode. On a Premium Desktop Studio, where the camera, lighting and background were set up to look sharp, it makes the whole picture look slightly out of focus.

Recent macOS updates can turn Portrait on automatically, so it can appear one day without you changing anything. Because it is a Mac setting, turning off background blur in Google Meet, Teams or Riverside doesn't switch it off.

How do you turn off Portrait mode on a Mac?

1. Open your video app. Start Google Meet, Teams, Zoom, Riverside or whichever app you are using, so the camera is on.
2. Click the green camera icon in the menu bar. While the camera is in use, a green camera icon appears in the menu bar at the top right of your Mac screen. Click it.
3. Find Portrait. In the menu that opens, find Portrait.
4. Turn it off. Switch Portrait off. Your image should look sharper and clearer straight away.

What does the fix look like in Riverside?

The short video on this page was recorded during a Riverside session. The background starts out a little hazy. Click the camera icon, make sure Portrait is disabled, and the background clears straight away with no blur left.

If the picture still looks soft after Portrait is off, the teleprompter glass may need a clean: here is how to clean your teleprompter glass. For recording on a Mac, see how to record with your Desktop Studio on Mac. If neither fixes it, get in touch. For how the studio fits together, see what the Desktop Studio setup involves.

Mac camera blur questions we get asked

Why is my background blurry on my Mac when blur is turned off in the app?

Because the blur comes from Apple's Portrait setting, which sits on top of every app on your Mac. Turn it off from the green camera icon in the menu bar while the app is open.

Where is the Portrait setting on a Mac?

While your camera is in use, click the green camera icon in the menu bar at the top right of the screen. Portrait is in the menu that opens.

Did I change something to cause this?

Probably not. Recent macOS updates can turn Portrait on automatically, so the blur can appear without anyone touching a setting.